Railway-tie.



L. BLESSING. RAILWAY TIE.

' APPLICATION FILED D110. 1'], 1906.

WITNESSES.-

PATENTED APR. 9, 1907 LOUIS BLESSING, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN.

RAILWAY-TIE.

life. 849,721.

Specification of Letters Patent.

atented April 9, 1907.

Application filed December 17.1906. Serial N0. 348,112.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LOUIS BLESSING, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at J ackson,.in the county of Jackson and State of Michigan, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Railway- Ties, of which the following is a specificatlon, j

reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in J railso that if one part becomes broken or 5 worn the damage may be repaired without the necessity for putting in an entirely new tie.

A further object of the invention is to prog vide a strong, cheap, and efficacious fastening for the rail and to provide certain other new and useful features in the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, all as hereinafter more fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in

f coming detached by vibration.

which A Figure 1 is a perspective View of a device embodying the invention with parts broken away to show the construction. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with parts broken. away to show the construction. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line :v as of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a similar section on the line y y, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal section of one of the blocks.

1 1 are two like blocks, formed of concrete or other suitable cementitious matter, each adapted to support one of the track-rails 2, which extends transversely thereof and rests thereon intermediate the ends of the block. The sides of each block extend outwardly and downwardly to give an extended lower surface, and the ends are each formed with an inwardly and downwardly slanting surface 3, which not only increases the extent of the lower supporting-surface, but also the end surface to prevent endwise movement when the tie is embedded in the road-bed.

Each block is reinforced to prevent its breaking by wire cables 4, embedded in the concrete and lying parallel with each other, each cable forming a loop, with a straight portion 5 extending longitudinally of the block near its upper surface, and a semicircular portion 6,uniting the ends of said straight portion and extending around within the block adjacent to its lower surface, the end portions of each cable being overlapped at the middle of the straight portion of the loop be neath the rail and the extreme ends 7 preferably turned vertically downward to give the cable a [irm hold in the cement, so that if the block should be broken transversely the cables will not fall out. These cables are also preferably formed of twisted strands of wire to give great tensile strength and so that the cement will embed itself in the grooves between the strands and firmly hold the cables without the necessity for providing supplemental means for engaging the concrete.

The two parts or blocks 1. are connected to form a rigid cross-tie by means of metal bars 8, one at each side, and these bars are rigidly secured to the blocks by tubular rivet members or pieces of pipe 5) passing through the blocks and through openings in the bars, the outer ends of the tubes being expanded or riveted down on the outer surface of the bars, thus dispensing with the necessity for bolts and nuts and firmly securing the bars in a manner to obviate the possibility of their be- Two of these tubular rivets are preferably used in each block, one passing through near the end of the block inside the reinforcing-loop and the other near its center beneath the overlapping end of the cables. By making the tie of two parts or blocks thus connected a rigid cross-tie is secured, and. at the same time should one of the blocks become broken it may be readily removed and a new one put in its place, thus obviating the necessity for putting in a whole new tie, and the space between the blocks when the tie is embedded in the road-bed is filled with the earth, which assists in preventing endwise movement of the tie.

In each block at each side of the rail a chamber 10 is formed, extending downward therein, and the lower or inner end of this chamber is undercut at its side toward the rail to form a shoulder 11, and the opposite side of the chamber is formed with a slant extending downward and toward the rail from its outer or upper end. A rail-clamp 12,0011- sisting of a short bar provided with a laterally-extending lug 13 at each end, is inserted in each chamber, with the lug at one end engaging the rail-flange and the other lug engaging beneath the shoulder 11, and this clamp is forced into contact with the rail and driven into the chamber and having a slant ing side corresponding to the slant of the side of the chamber.

Holes 15, formed in the block, lead from the bottom of each chamber through the bottom of the block to drain off any water which might accumulate in the chamber.

he two blocks 3 may be pivotally connected by omitting one of the tubular rivets 9 in each block.

Havi ins fully described. the invention, what I claim is 1. In a railway-tie formed of oementitious material, the combination of a series of reinforcing members embedded in the body of the tie and consisting ol cables arranged with a straight portion extcnd w ljacent to the upper surface of the body and a semicircular portion extending adjacent to the lower surface of the body and uniting the ends of the straight portion, the end portions of said cables being overlapped at the middle of the straight portion.

2. In a railway-tie formed of cementitious material, the combination of a series of reinforcing members embedded in the body of the tie and consisting of cables arranged with a straight portion extending adjacent to the upper surface of the body and a semicircular portion extending adjacent to the lower surface of'the body and uniting the ends of the straight portion, the end portions of said cables being overlapped at the middle 01"" the straight portion and the ends of said cables turned vertically downward.

3. In a railway-tie, the combination of blocks formed of cementitious material and provided with inwardly and downwardly inclined ends, 1'6111f010111g021bl6$ embedded in said blocks, each cable being arranged in the ,iOrm of a loop with a straight portion extending adjacent to the upper face of the block and a semicircular portion extending adjacent to the lower face the block and uniting the ends ol the strai ht portions, a bar at each side of the blocks, and tubular members extending through the blocks and bars and riveted at their outer ends to secure the bars to the blocks.

i. In a railway-tie, the combination of blocks formed of cementitious material and provided with inwardly and downwardly inclined ends and a plurality of chambers ex tending downward therein each having a hole leading from its bottom through the block, reinforcing-cables embedded in said blocks, each cable being formed of twisted strands of wire and arranged in the form of a loop w th overlapping ends, a bar at each side of the blocks to unite the same and hold them apart, tubular members extending through the blocks inside the reinforcingloops and through the bars to secure the bars to the blocks, a clamp in each 01" the chambore in the blocks having laterally-extending lugs, and a wedge in each chamber between one side thereof and the clamp to secure the clamp therein.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two itnesses.

LOUIS BLESSING.

l itnosses OTTO F. BARTHEL, ANNA M. Donn. 

